The scene cuts to Maru, fresh out of the shower. He smiles and writes "haengbok" 행복, or happiness in the fog on the mirror. Ah sugar, I get the feeling you won't be riding that happiness high for too long. Sure enough, Eunki has a flashback to a time when her doctor told her to seek out her bad memories and confront them, so she can finally recover from that brain trauma.

Eunki remembers herself swerving in that tunnel a year ago...which mean she's getting her memories back. Eunki even flinches away from Maru when he comes into the kitchen of the house they share with Choco and Jaegil. So the question isn't "will we be getting angst this episode?" but "how much angst will there be?"

Angst Had Better Not Interfere With the KitchenCuddling.

Eunki admits that she's worried Maru will one day get tired of her, but he works hard to convince her otherwise: "No, I know how I feel. I won't get tired of you. I won't run away." These sweet words are cut off by a ring at the doorbell--it's some more lawyers, saying that Maru is being sued by the Taesan Corporation for false business practices.

Is it bad that my first reaction is "yay!"? Because while I love Maru, I think he is owed some karmic payback for all those people he scammed and cheated during his year apart from Eunki. It was his choice to become a thief and a crook, so it's only right that now he's being called out for the crookedness. Maru doesn't just need to play white knight for Eunki--he needs to actually become a hero, which is hard to do until you reform your morals.

The Pitiable Puppydog Face Will Only Get You So Far, Maru.

Maru agrees to go with the prosecutors, but not before he eats breakfast. He explains to them that Eunki worked hard since dawn to prepare the first meal she ever made for him, and he's not about to miss it. OMG, why so cute? Then he grins at the prosecutors outside because he knows they don't have a warrant for his arrest, and can't make him go anywhere. He goes to visit Jaehee, who says she'll bury him with framed evidence of his corporate betrayal unless he leaves now.

She closes her offer by saying, "If you were sent to prison again, what would happen to Eunki and Choco?"

She Did NOT Just Go There.

Threatening his kid sister and his precious Eunki? You have to be lower than a snake's belly to even come up with that.

Elsewhere, Attorney Park calls Attorney Ahn out for fabricating evidence against Maru. Attorney Ahn says Attorney Park should welcome the chance to get Maru out of the picture, so he can have Eunki all to himself. Attorney Park finally admits that he does love Eunki, and in that way, he and Attorney Ahn are rather similar--they're only fighting on different sides because they fell in love with different women in the same sorta-family.

It's a nice moment of recognition between the two men, and I also think it's pleasant how Park calls Ahn seonbae-nim (선배님), a polite, deferential form of address to someone who is your senior in school or at work.

Polite to A Fault, Is Attorney Park.

Maru goes down to the prosecutor's office on his own and demands that they investigate him! He explains that he was an industrial spy and a scam artist in the past, so he does have a criminal record, but now he wants to go straight. He says he lived so horribly because he hoped his bad actions would help him die faster. Maru concludes, "But I want to live now, because I have a reason to live." And the camera cuts to Eunki.

Eunki travels to her old house, to try to pick up some more memories. And then she runs across little Eunsuk and his nanny! Eunsuk is her half-brother, the 6-year-old son of Jaehee. Eunki used to be a beast to the poor child, but he always adored her. When this tiny tot says "Bogoshipeosoyo, noona!" (보고 싶어소요, 누나!, "I missed you, big sister"), it could melt hearts from 50 yards away.

If Cuteness Could Kill, We'd All Be Goners.

Eunki stays around the house to hang out with Eunsuk. Jaehee comes home to find them happily playing a video game together. Then Eunki stays for dinner.

At home, Maru is losing it because he couldn't find Eunki anywhere. Finally Jaegil says he knows where she's gone--to her old house.

Eunki really shouldn't have stayed for dinner, because Jaehee notices that Eunki eats shellfish, which she's allergic to. Maru shows up to retrieve Eunki, and while Jaehee's out of the room Eunki explains her wanderings to Maru by saying that she's got to go looking for her lost memories instead of sitting around passively, letting Maru do all the work. He's touched by her go-get-'em attitude...

But Still Worried About Her Safety.

As they leave, Eunki talks to Maru about how ridiculous she used to be--throwing fits and shouting when she was served food she didn't like, as the housemaid said. Maru's like, "Yeah, I told you that you were mean as heck before the accident." Eunki just hadn't believed it until now. I like this revelation; I want Eunki to keep her strength and tenacity while also moving on from the downright bratty behaviors of the past.

Eunki confesses that she's afraid of getting her memories back and being disappointed in the person she discovers herself to be. Maru says, "If that's the case, just stay as you are now."

Maru, That Benefits YOU a Lot More Than Her.

Eunki just laughs it off. She's going to get her memories back, regardless of what he says. She especially wants to remember all her good times with Maru, which has Maru looking stricken, since all their good times pre-accident were mostly lies, in contrast to their present.

While Maru's off being a boss at Taesan, both literally and figuratively, Eunki gets into more trouble by letting Jaehee into their house. When Jaehee says she knows Choco and Jaegil, Eunki's curiosity goes into cat-killing mode and she asks, slightly hurt, "You know Choco and Jaegil?"

Oh, Child. She's Got You, Now.

But Jaehee is less focused on finding the holes in Eunki's memory and more focused on getting Eunki away from Maru. Really? Jaehee's still feeling possessive of him? She asks Eunki, "Were there no other men in the world? Why did you have to choose Maru?" Eunki wonders why Jaehee is so against her being with Maru, and suddenly Eunki's getting a dozen flashbacks in a row, all memories of hearing that Maru had once loved Jaehee and was only using Eunki to get back at her.

Eunki collapses to the floor while holding her head, probably in considerable physical pain in additional to the emotional pain. Jaehee kneels over her, honestly worried about her safety, which is just when Maru walks in. Maru shoves Jaehee away from Eunki (woot!) and tells her to get lost (double-woot!). And then Maru bridal-carries the unconscious Eunki out of the room, and takes her to the hospital.

And as Maru dotes on Eunki in the hospital, Jaehee sits alone at the Taesan corporation, drinking glass after glass of wine. Attorney Ahn arrives to tell her that Eunki is suffering from brain damage and lost memories.

At the hospital, Maru wakes up to find Eunki gone. When he discovers her outside, sleeping on a park bench, she rebuffs him, pushing him away when he tries to bring her back inside. She asks, "Who ARE you?" Huh. Either she's gotten her memories back and she's asking about his intentions, or her memories were so painful, she double-suppressed them and now doesn't remember him at all.

Episode 14 shows us that it's the lattermost option--Eunki wanders around outside in a haze, while Maru follows a few paces behind, since she keeps shoving him away.

At Least She Allows Him to Pull Her Away From Oncoming Traffic.

Maru leads her home to the room she shares with Choco, but Eunki goes berserk when she sees a photo of herself with Maru. She throws the picture frame to the floor and yells that the picture is a lie, and everything in the room is a lie. Eunki may be losing more memories, but she senses that something's not kosher. She screams until she faints.

Not That I Mind The Snuggling, But Do We Have to Faint So Much?

Jaehee shows up at their house the next morning, and Choco stands watch outside like a cutesy bulldog, taking Jaehee to task for every bad thing she ever did to Maru. Right on. Jaehee says yes, she got everything she ever wanted...then as Maru steps outside, she adds, "But I'm not as happy as I thought I would be." Omo. No she didn't. Choco goes inside, telling Maru, "This is not the same Jaehee we knew, this is just a strange ahjumma. Don't talk to her for too long." ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Maru is so angry, he pushes Jaehee against a wall and tells her to get away. Jaehee answers that she is Eunki's mother and therefore has a right to see her. In what universe does kicking out Eunki's mom, marrying her Dad, then contributing to Dad's death make you her mother?

Not Pure Evil, But Inching Closer Every Day.

Jaehee beings to sweet-talk him, saying that he once loved her, and she had to lose that love to realize how precious it was. Baloney. She says she's determined to get that love back, but instead of further torturing Maru, she leaves.

Inside, Eunki is in super-amnesia mode, remembering nothing and throwing down every glass of milk that Maru brings to her. Maru quietly says, "Okay, let's see how far this can go. The cabinet is full of cups, there's plenty of milk in the fridge, and I have a day off of work." In other words, he's going to try to get her to take nourishment all day long, and break every piece of china in the house if that's what it takes.

He Is Nothing If Not Dedicated.

She cuts her hand on the broken glass of the fourth shattered cup, and as he disinfects her cuts, Maru says that he's glad she's showing anger because her situation is rough enough for her to pitch a hundred fits. He says that if she's repressing memories of him because they're so painful, she should stop hurting herself, and instead take her anger out on him. Then he says that he can't leave her until he sees her standing on her own feet--she has to make a complete recovery before he'll be able to disappear from her life.

Ah, so he is planning to disappear. He leaves and comes back with the fifth milk, to find Eunki sobbing her heart out. Maru lets her cry it out, and he goes and vomits because his cerebral hematoma is acting up again.

Our Main Couple Is So Wounded, It's Not Even Funny.

Next morning, Eunki walks down to breakfast, smiling, and I'm left wondering which Eunki it is. Medium-amnesia Eunki or Mega-amnesia Eunki? They are two very distinct women. Eunki tells Maru that she dreamed about him--but in the dream he was a dishonest bad guy, and he hurt her. Maru instantly stops spreading jam on Eunki's breakfast toast.

Maru asks, "What will you do if you get all your memories back, and I turn out to be that bad person?" Eunki says she'll never forgive him, to which Maru laughs and says he's relieved that she wouldn't forgive him.

You Are One Weird Dude, Maru.

Eunki meets with Attorney Park and asks him if he once told her that Maru had only approached her to get revenge on someone else. Attorney Park, resident good guy, lies to Eunki's face and says he never told her that. Huh. Why is Attorney Park so staunchly Team Maru right now? Because he thinks Maru's the only guy who can win the company back for them?

Eunki returns to work at the Taesan corporation and Jaehee "assigns" her a meeting with an important business contact she used to know very well, but whom she doesn't remember now. Maru wants to help her, but she's determined to handle the meeting herself. But Jaehee told Eunki she was meeting the wrong person! Just to confuse her. Oh, girl.

I Am Physically Cringing While Watching This Scene.

Eunki ruins the meeting, which thrills Jaehee because she'll have a better excuse to kick Eunki out. I hate this because I want so desperately for Eunki to be independent, but every time she tries, she fails spectacularly. Maru tells her she can't give up Taesan, though--he won't let her.

Maru drops Eunki off in front of the chairman's house, then drives away. Is he tossing her into a lake to see if she can swim? Eunki waits outside the chairman's house all day until nightfall. She comes right out and tells him she's suffering from amnesia and she lied to him by pretending to know him. Her honesty works because the Chairman wants to work with only Eunki on future business deals.

That One Backfired!

The episode ends with Jaehee appointing Eunki as co-director of the entire company, I guess in the hopes that greater responsibility will lead to greater future failures.

Things I Loved:
1. Eunki Being Domestic. It's just for a moment, but it's nice to see Eunki happily preparing a meal for her and Maru. Makes you wonder what could have been if Eunki had gotten cutthroat business training as well as a decent home life.

Corporate Shark+Heart Apron? Possibly.

2. Couple Moments. In episode 13, Maru can barely be around Eunki without touching her shoulder or reaching for her hand, or a dozen other small, non-intrusive gestures of affection.

It's great to see Eunki working so hard to be independent. Even in her hurt state, she's cooking meals, going out on outings, and taking responsibility for her own medical condition. In short, even though she's been reduced to a child on some levels, our Eunki is still, miraculously, a grown woman who will not stand by and be babied.

Unfortunately, her stabs at independence have disastrous consequences in the form of Jaehee figuring out her amnesia secret.

The double-amnesia was kind of fascinating, like a way to force the moment to its crisis, to make a bad situation infinitely worse so it could get better. We're all still hanging on, and the show is going strong. Bring on the next eps!

Whew, this is a longer one! Psalm 18 is the first pslam so far to top 50 verses, and it has a lot to do with being in awe of God's strength. Verse 1 even refers to God directly as the source of the speaker's strength. The Lord is compared to several immovable things, like a rock to use as a foundation or a fortress that can protect you in wartime, or a shield to deflect attacks.

Verse 3 is one that I heard a lot and learned as a child--"I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies." It's a very comforting thought, to be able to talk to God in times of trouble.

Verses 4-6 talk about being in serious distress and ready to die, but calling out to God for help. Verses 7-15 are about God's power and majesty, and verses 17-20 are about God rescuing the speaker, with verses 21-24 explaining why the Lord rescued the speaker--because of his uprightness. The rest of the psalm shows more images of God's strength, especially as they relate to war or conflict. Of the remaining verses, my favorite is 46, "The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted," which is another one that I remember from praise songs I heard as a kid.

________________________________

1I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24 Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Psalm 17 seems very concerned with rightness before God. The speaker wants to be heard by God because he is an honest person who will not lie.

Verses 3-5 ask God to test the speaker's heart to see if it is pure, and the verses also reference the fact that God communicates regularly with the speaker and keeps an eye on him. This person has decided that he will not do wrong, and he notes that God's word is what has kept him from being destroyed.

Verses 6-8 talk about why the speaker needs God to listen to him. He asks God to care for him as the apple of his eye and to hide him beneath his wings, and I really like this image of God as having wings, as we think of angels having.

Verses 9-12 talk about the speaker's violent enemies, people who are proud, greedy, and deceptive, like lions waiting for prey. In the final verses, the speaker asks God to deliver him from the danger these people present, and to give him peace and security in God's own presence.

14 From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.________________________

We open with a few minutes of recap, watching Maru drive after Eunki, who has been kidnapped by bad guy Jaeshik, but Maru manages to cut their car off. The bad guy gets away because Eunki pulls Maru off of him, still not knowing he was a bad guy. Maru is shaking with fury, barely able to ask Eunki if she's some type of brain-dead idiot, running off with anyone who tells her to get in a car with them.

Congrats, Dear, That's The Exact Wrong Thing to Say.

I wish someone would tell him, when you rescue the girl, you hug her. You comfort her. You do not tell her that she's an idiot unless you follow that up with the aforementioned hugging and comforting. It takes the sting out.

Eunki starts blaming herself again, thinking that Maru's upset at her because he hates to see her face, not because he's worried. Aww. Maru grabs her arms and pulls her toward his car, but Eunki resists, saying that she finally gets it that he doesn't like her, and she won't bother him again. She says she acted like a fool by clinging to him, and she won't stoop so low again. Atta girl! She's so brave, and even with her lost memories and brain injury, she manages to salvage some pride.

What Can Maru Say That Won't Make This Situation Worse?

He says nothing and tries to stuff her into the car again. Eunki resists, then our sweet, sweet, awesome girl says, "I don't need your sympathy. Although I've lost my memory, I know when I'm being humiliated." She walks away and gets into a taxi. Maru sits in his car and has his first internal monologue ever that's all about Eunki: "After all that I had to do to send you away, how can you still come back to me?" This is the first solid evidence that he's been protecting her by staying away.

At her secret house, Eunki listens to music. When she hears the late-60's English song, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie, she flashes back to hearing the song while riding in the car with Maru.

Wheeee! Memories Returning!

Maru sleeps in his car all night, probably because he can't bear to go into the house when his sister Choco's no longer around, and when he is about to go inside, Jaeshik stops him. Maru is ready to flay him alive, but Jaeshik tells Maru that Jaehee is the one who ordered Eunki's kidnapping. Maru spares Jaeshik in exchange for the location of Eunki's secret house.

At the Taesan Corporation, Attorney Ahn is trying to send people to assassinate Eunki, since that kidnapping didn't pan out. Attorney Park comes in to call him out for it, but officially, Attorney Park still can't admit that he knows where Eunki is. Doesn't stop him from telling the opposition to back off, though.

Law-yer Fight! Law-yer Fight!

Maru picks up Eunki's Secretary on the way to the secret house. Maru asks her how he can help, and asks what Secretary's ultimate plans for Eunki are--to take over Taesan Corporation and defeat Jaehee? Essentially, yes. Maru charges into the garden of Eunki's secret house (Eunki's Secret Garden?) and tells her to come with him. Eunki will have none of his bossiness--who is he to order her around when he showed her nothing but contempt and pity before? Bravo, girl!

Eunki pushes Maru away a few times hard, and he follows her into her house, where she locks him out of her room.

This Shouldn't Be Funny, But It Is.

Eunki says she won't leave her house with some stranger, which is exactly what Maru berated her for doing earlier. Heh. Maru looks down at a children's book Eunki had been reading--"The Boy Who Cried Wolf"--and realizes he has to come clean, at least a little, in order to save her.

He begins to tell her how they met. It was on a plane, when she fainted and he had to give her emergency medical treatment. The second time they met was after her dirt bike accident, when he got injured saving the special doll she received from her mother. "I had never met such a rude, crazy person in my life. She was arrogant, difficult and mean," he says. Eunki's curiosity gets the better of her and she agrees to go with Maru.

He Still Looks Very Worried About Her.

Maru tells her more about their past, all of it true. He tells her that she used to pick fights with him and insult him to show that she liked him. Eunki is miffed to hear this and she thinks he is lying, but this is all exactly as it happened. To shut him up, Eunki turns on the car radio, which is playing "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," of all things.

Maru takes Eunki home, and as she waits outside, his best friend Jaegil comes home and practically starts dancing a mambo of joy when he sees Eunki sitting outside. He says it's delightful to have her around again and that he, Jaegil, didn't realize how important Eunki was until she was gone. Maru may not talk about his feelings, but Jaegil sure will.

I Love Best Friends Who Spill the Beans!

It's pretty funny when Jaegil talks on and on to Eunki, and then she has to ask him who he is. Jaegil goes inside to where Maru is packing up his things, and says that Eunki doesn't remember him. Maru admits that she doesn't remember him, either. Jaegil is stunned that Maru is preparing to move now, when he had refused to leave the house for so many years. Maru replies that this place is no longer safe because Jaeshik and Jaehee both know of it.

Jaegil asks Maru if the reason he stayed in this house was so that Eunki could find him again. He asks, "Do you like Eunki? You weren't just using her to get to Jaehee after all, were you?" Jaegil says, "Well at least she came back to you. No matter how long you waited for Jaehee, she never came back to you like Eunki did."

It's True! Don't Deny It's True.

Attorney Park learns that Eunki is with Maru, and he calls Maru up for a meeting. Attorney Park says he knows all about Maru--his shady past, and how he used Eunki to get revenge on Jaehee. The question is, why is Maru back in Eunki's life now? Maru turns it right back around on Attorney Park--"Do you like Eunki?" Good question, because that's the heart of the matter. Attorney Park isn't simply objecting to Maru's presence as Eunki's close friend and associate; he's objecting as a man who's interested in Eunki.

At Maru's place, Choco is back home and is distressed when she learns of Eunki's amnesia. Choco reintroduces herself, hugs Eunki, and says she'll do her best to help unnie regain her memories. Jaegil and Choco are both shipping Eunki/Maru pretty hard. Wouldn't be surprising to see some overt matchmaking moves in the future.

It's Something to Look Forward To.

Attorney Park asks Maru to support Eunki and help her take back the Taesan Corporation. Maru agrees.

Jaehee visits Maru's place, only to find everyone gone and most of their stuff moved out.

We see Maru driving down the freeway with a car full of sleeping loved ones--Jaegil and Choco in the back, and Eunki in the passenger seat, and it may possibly be the sweetest understated moment in the show to date.

Next morning, Jaehee is being set up as the official Chairman of Taesan. But as she's giving her thank you speech, someone surprising shows up in the audience...

Eunki!

Eunki says, "I'm sorry. Have I arrived too late, eomoni(mother)?" Jaehee comes down from the stage and hugs Eunki while crying. Jaehee's freaking out that Eunki's being so gentle and polite, which is awesome. Eunki explains to the large audience that she was in a car wreck and had to receive medical treatment in a remote, quiet place, but now she's ready to come back to her company.

She adds that as a result of her accident, she has been diagnosed with face blindness and cannot always recognize people she once new, so she will need everyone's understanding and help for awhile. Ah, I wondered how they were going to play off her amnesia so no one noticed--nicely handled. Then Eunki calls out for Kang Maru, who has been sitting in the audience this whole time without anyone noticing.

Silent, Like a Panther.

Eunki introduces him as her fiance, and the man who is going to help her run the company.

We interrupt this review to spazz happily. {*EEEEEEEEEE* Maru and Eunki as fake fiancees? This is the best K-drama trope ever. Love, love, love this idea. Joy!*****}

This was a sensible move on the part of the writers because we don't see or know all of Maru and Eunki (and Secretary and Attorney Park)'s plan, so the audience is just as in suspense as Jaehee is, wondering what's about to go down. Also, fake relationships are always pure gold in televised shows--we are going to have so much fun with this, yes we are, precious.

Episode 12 flashes back in time to open with Maru on a bluetooth headset, coaching Eunki before they announce her return. They are both getting ready in front of mirrors, and Maru feeds Eunki the lines he has prepared.

Is Anyone Else Surprised That Maru Needs to Shave?

It's a great scene, clicking back and forth between the characters. Maru fastens his tie and says a line of the speech. Eunki has her Secretary touch up her makeup as she repeats the line, and we get the impression of a tightly-knitted plot coming together. High fives for whoever is directing this show.

We rewatch the confronting-Jaehee scene, mostly from Maru's point of view. It's notable that he looks proud of Eunki, and that his eyes are steadily fixed on Eunki's entrance, not on Jaehee's reaction. He may still want revenge, but he sure ain't focused on it. Eunki's speech goes over well and she is reinstated as director of the corporation, and when they're alone, Maru hugs her and tells her she did a good job.

Interestingly, Eunki asks Maru if she really has to fight Jaehee. Eunki has forgotten all Jaehee has done to her. Maru has to explain to Eunki that Jaehee started this fight by taking a corporation that wasn't rightfully hers.

You Must Become More Vicious, Eunki.

Eunki asks Maru if she, as unwell as she still is, can handle this fight? He replies that he will do the fighting for her; she can stand behind him and let him do the work. Maru has a flashback to the recent past, where Attorney Park told him to vanish from Eunki's life as soon as her recovery was complete, partly because once she remembered everything her did to her, Eunki wouldn't want him around anyway. Maru asks for half of the Taesan corporation in return for winning it back for Eunki. Attorney Park agrees.

When they all meet in an elevator, Jaehee invites Eunki and Maru to a family dinner. Despite what she's been told about Jaehee, Eunki looks touched, while Maru stifles some quiet rage. This sounds like a bad idea to me--how can Jaehee possibly not discover that Eunki is not her old self?

Methinks This Dinner Is a Bad Idea.

Jaehee strikes the first blow at home, telling Eunki that because she was off running around with some guy (Maru), she wasn't around to see her father when he died. That's rich, coming from the woman who watched him die while withholding his medication and refusing to call 911.

When they have a moment alone, Maru tells Jaehee that Eunki is all he thinks of now, that she's the woman he's obsessing over. It's not quite true, but I hope he's saying this more to throw Jaehee off her game than to make her jealous. He says "I came back because of Eunki, to protect her from a person who wants her to disappear. I'm even going to try all this lovely food before she does--because who knows what might be in it?" Jaehee ends up screaming at Maru that she won't give up her house or her position to Eunki. She won't! It all belongs to her!

All this happens while Eunki is sitting in an empty office, mourning the father she doesn't remember.

Maru tries his best to comfort Eunki, and suggests they go home to eat, so she can relax after this nasty day. They go, and leave Jaehee alone, staring down a beautiful expensive dinner that no one wants to share with her. At home, where Jaegil and Choco also live, Eunki apologizes to her father in her diary for not being there when he died, while Maru spends an exhausting night poring over financial statements. He has a splitting headache and has to take medication, lest we forget about his cerebral hematoma.

The next day, Attorney Ahn has figured out that Eunki's been brain damaged, so he asks to meet with her, so he can suss out the weak spots. Vulture. Kretin. Opportunist. He preys on her fears by saying that the board of directors is concerned about her capabilities, so she'll have to prove to him that she can read and write flawlessly. It looks like her trembling hand will surely fail to write any words that make sense...then she writes "You are a bad person" to Atttorney Ahn, gives him a mild smirk, then makes an excuse to leave.

That's. My. Girl.

Eunki gets another memory flash, this time to a moment where she was mad at Attorney Ahn--so hopefully, this means that strong emotions will bring back the memories?

In his first board meeting, Maru eats Jaehee alive by exposing information about her underhanded business dealings. Squee.

Eunki goes to see her doctor who is, in a nice twist, Maru's old med school teacher. Doctor says that her brain issues regarding speaking, reading, and writing have improved tremendously, though she's not back to normal yet.

Maru comes home from a long day at the office, and he sits in his car, replaying Attorney Park's words about how Eunki would never want to see him again if she learned the truth.

It's a Good Sign That This Bothers Him.

He comes inside and overhears his little sister Choco giving Eunki romantic advice--that she and Maru should go on a romantic trip together! Maru smiles sweetly to himself when Eunki admits she's too embarrassed to ask him out. Maru lies awake at night, smiling and thinking of Eunki's words. He finally has to go wake up Jaegil to get him to recommend a good romantic getaway for the two of them.

What's even more cuter is when Maru asks Jaegil a long list of questions about what women like and how to woo one. It seems ridiculous because Maru's been presented as this ladies' man, but the reality is he's never tried to win over a girl; they always just showed up through no effort on his part. Jaegil says Maru should try to remember the techniques he used while dating Jaehee. Maru smiles and says he doesn't remember those days.

For Reals? Or Is He Just Joshing Us?

The next shot we see is of Eunki asleep in the passenger seat of Maru's car. When she wakes up, she doesn't know where she is for a second, but Maru is sitting outside, waiting for her so they can each take a beach trip together. How he moved her into the car while not waking her up, we'll never know.

As Eunki and Maru walk along the beach together, Maru has a mental monologue to his father. "Dad, a woman walked into my life. I said the most hurtful things I could think of and pushed her away, but she came back to me again. She and I are very similar. We both have scars and our lives have been filled with tears, but I'm the one responsible for her scars and tears. I should never have met her."

They drive home after a full, happy day. They hold hands in the car and Maru looks proud to be with Eunki. They they enter a tunnel. Oh. No. Eunki's memory of the night of the wreck begins to flicker in her head.

End of episode.

Things I Loved:
1. Wall of Separation. It's another case of the metaphorical becoming literal when Maru can't get through to Eunki or get her to come through the wall between them. They are always shifting positions in the world, but there's always a barrier between.

"So Far Away...Doesn't Anybody Stay In One Place Anymore?"

2. The Move. Maru leaving that old house full of bad memories feels like some sort of spiritual catharsis. Also, it's great that he moves with Jaegil, Choco, and Eunki, making it seem like Maru has a real, complete family.

Totally rad episodes, dudes! We've got fake fiancees, memories coming back, Jaehee feeling the heat, and all is right with the world. And even though Eunki has lost all her memories, she's getting some of her spine back. More power to you, babe! You stand up to those bullies.

I'm very invested in Eunki getting the Taesan Corporation back permanently, not because I care about the business or even because I think Eunki cares about it, but because Eunki needs to win something, and this is as good a goal as any. The girl was born to run a corporation, and she has more of a heart than dear old Dad, so she will be a CEO with principles.

And it's so. Good. To finally have Maru truly falling for Eunki. He's slightly nuts for this girl, and it's going to be the beast and worst thing that ever happened to him.

The envoy from Yuan is going to demand that King Gongmin give Eunsoo to Yuan. Choi Young is going to pre-empt their scheme by just vanishing with his beloved doctor. Somebody new wants to kidnap her every week, and he's finally caught on to that fact.

Gotta Be Tough Watching Your Sweetheart Be Used As a Bargaing Chip All The Time.

In the King's stateroom, the envoy from Yuan says some very complex things about Yuan wanting to dissolve Goryeo. War might be imminent. In order to appease Yuan, the King is supposed to execute Eunsoo--I don't even follow the envoy's logic on this one at all.

Anyhoo, This Guy Wants to Kill Eunsoo.

Choi Young had sent Eunsoo away with a friend of his, but he soon leaves the palace to join her because it's still a couple of weeks until the heaven's gate opens, which is the portal that will allow her to return to the future. During these weeks, she'll need protection, since an enemy nation is determined to kill her. But even if this part of the plot goes nowhere ultimately, I'm glad to have picturesque shots of our main couple running away through the forest.

This Is The "Resting" Phase of Running Away.

Oh, right, and Eunsoo's still poisoned. She has to get an antidote from D, or her arm will probably fall off before she goes back to the future, but she downplays the advance of the poison.

Gicheol is quite unhappy that Eunsoo is gone, because he wanted her to show him the heaven's gate. Also, Gicheol's ice powers (which we have seen all of three times) are malfunctioning more than usual.

Choi Young and Eunsoo go to an inn to have dinner, and they are, of course, attacked. Choi Young is smashing chairs over heads, and Eunsoo is helping a bit, too! From one of the defeated foes, they picked up what is essentially a Wanted poster, where Gicheol has offered a reward for Eunsoo's return.

It Even Includes Primitive Mugshots of Them.

In the palace, we hear that the Queen is expecting a baby, now. Wonderful! The King and Queen are darling people and I'd enjoy their scenes more if this drama weren't so belabored and protracted.

For our runaways, there is more fighting and more running away. Eunsoo begs Choi Young to let her teach him something in exchange for all his horse-riding and dagger-fighting lessons, and it ends up that the only thing she can teach him is a little cheer of encouragement she uses to psych herself up.

If She Gets Any Cuter, The Screen Will Explode.

She proceeds to teach Choi Young "pinky promise" and "high five," and I die of the sheer level of adorability. How can a show that's so serious and draggy have such sweetness in it? Toward the end of the episode, Eunsoo stumbles across a plastic container hidden under a random rock in the woods. Inside this container, there are a few more pages of her future diary.

This Again?

The note says they should turn around and go back to the palace, to save the King and Queen. They argue, then go back, with some fights along the way. At the palace, the Queen is missing and King Gongmin is falling apart. I wish I could immerse myself in this story again, if only to appreciate the struggle of this young king deciding how to protect his much-loved queen.

It Would Be A Very Powerful Storyline Elsewhere.

Choi Young gets back to the palace in time to rally the King's utterly destroyed spirits. Eunsoo tries to bargain with D, who is suspected of kidnapping the queen. King Gongmin has a meeting with the Yuan envoy where he refuses to execute Eunsoo, like they want.

Elsewhere, Choi Young saved the kidnapped and drugged Queen just before a minion is about to poison her to death.

Because of the drugs, the Queen loses the baby, but it's still good to have her preserved alive. Now everyone is back in the palace and the immediate threats are over. Choi Young and Eunsoo talk over how to get her to the heaven's gate--instead of running again, they will stay in place until the exact day it opens. Eunsoo needs to stay extra safe, so she gets permission from the King to train as a Woldalchi warrior; armor, sword, and all! Heh. That's going to be delightful.

Episode Evaluations: Hmm. Did I watch these episodes, or just rewatch some old ones? Despite things like the Queen's pregnancy and kidnapping, I didn't feel like a single new thing happened. It's nice to see Eunsoo, Choi Young, the King and Queen, but I feel less like I'm watching a sequential show and more like I'm re-flipping back and forward through the same pages in a book.